Mower.



V. P. HOLLIS.

' Mownn. APPLIOATIOH I'ILBD OOT. 19, 1908.

Patented June '7,v 1910.

3 SEBETS-SHET 1.

V. P. HOLLIS.

MOWER.

APPLIGATION HLBD 00118. 1908.

Patented June 7,1910.

3 SHETS-SHEET 3.

UNHEU :S

VENNING P; Henne, or mINNEnPoLIs, iuimnso'm;

mownn.

To' ll 'whom' it may concem Be it known that I, VENNIN'G P. HoLLIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in 'the county of Hennepin and State of-Minnesota, have invented a new and usefulh Improvement in Mowers, of which' the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mowers and more articularly to that class which adaptd or use on lawns for cuttilla anel rmori, .grass- Theprimary o ject of this invention is a machine of its class which is adapted to run mechanically by simple and inexpensive mechanism and which can be operated en- 'tirely by the use of a pair of handles to guide the machine, control thedriving mechanism, propel the apparatus and vary the speed of the moving parts.

in cutting grass within angular spaces and upon unevnground and is light in weight as compared with 'prior art devices.

In' theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1 is 'a plan view of my invention; Fig. 2-'isa side view; Fig. 3' is an end view; Fig. 4 is a side view of a de tail portion .of one ofl the handles; Fig, isan end view -ofthe construction illustratedin 'Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the traction Wheels for propelling the device; 'Fig. 7 is a section of one of the traction Wheels taken on the line.X X of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a bot-tom plan view of the clutch' and its connections.

In the dfawingsArepresents a frame having two sides 2 and 3 and va transver'se back 4 to which is riveted or otherwise secured a .pair of 'upwardly and rearwardly inclinedl ,handle-bars 5 and 6. Between the sides-2 and 3 is a transverse beam 7 and .between saidbeam Vand the back of the frame are' longitudinal strips 8 and 9 which ser'veto reinforce the strength of the frame 'and support the working parts of the machine thereon. The front end of the frame is carried' upon'a pair of idle wheels 10 and 11 one' being located at the forward end of each side -of the frame andfreely journaled' by casters 12 which are mounted by-means of forwardly rojecting brackets 13 upon said sides. The ack portion of the frame is provided with 'a transverse shaft 15 which is' journaled in'supports 16 upon the sides andv carries traction Wheelsv 17; and 18 thereon.

Each of the Iwheels 17 and 18 has an inner specification ofrears Patent. Application led October 19, 1908. SerialNo. 458,885.

This invention can be used to advantage.

said hub is a sleeve 21, keyed to the shaft '15 at 22 andcarrying oppositely dispos'ed dogsv 23 which are pivoted at 24 theron and pressed outwardly into engagement with the teethin the hub lby means 'of Springs 25. These dogs 23 engage the teeth 19 and drive the Wheels 17 andr18` forward'from the drive shaft 15 and when turning a co'rner one of the Wheels 17 or 18 turns faster than said shaft said dogs sweeping over the teeth to 'allow this movement.

Any clutch mechanism of ordinary construction may be vemployed to accomplish this result, itbeing 'common practice to apply 4diflerential mechanism to power driven Vehicles ofV this na.-

ture and this feature of construction not forming part of my invention.

Transversely arranged between the sides 2 and 3 and Journaled freely thereupon by .means of a shaft 30 running in Journal blocks 31 is a grass cutting knife reel B, the blades 32 of which being mounted' upon s ider frames 33 which are carried u on t e shaft 30 in the usual manner. he

blades 32 coperate with the rigid cutter bar is secured to supports 36'by means of' the bolts 38 passing throu h slots 39 therein and the apron is carrie .by the cutter bar and can be changed in position whenthe cutter bar is adjusted to the knife reel by ratentea June 7, 1910.l

toothed surface 19 in its hub 20 and within moving the bolts38 in said groove's infthem w usual manner. A guide roller 40 is freely journaled in the sup orts 36lback of the apron'. Thevhopper -has its 'month mediately adjoinlng the perimeter of the brushv to receive the cut grass and is suppprted upon the' transverse beam 7 on the anie by .means of brackets 41.

The -re `duced or inner end of the hopper has at-l tached thereto-a conveyer tube or cpipe 42' which leads Vup and into' a recepta the side of the handle bars for catching and holding the grass whichis cut the machine. i

Mounted u o n vthe longitudinal barsV 8 and 9v of the fr eFat' anie isa gasolene engine o r I 'm'otor by means .of which the machine is adapted to be ropelled and the working parts operated. his engine may be of any form desired and as shown is of two cycle typebeing provided 'with the customary sparl mechanisin 'whichis operated'to '1 vary, the -advance of the' s ark b means of the' lever 46 and with t e car ureter 47 which i's 'adapted tobe 'changed'simultanethe engine.

'supply'tank 50 to'v the carburet'er by means ous1ywith the 'advance' of the spark byv means of theflever 48' to control the speed of Gasolene is. admitted from the of the supplypipe 51' which canbe opened or 'closed by the valve 52'. Mixture from the carbureter is admitted into the engine by means of the pi e 53. The exhaust from the enginel is con ucted 'by means of the pipe 54 to the conveyer tube 42 so as to 42 from the tacle.

.which the main' drive chain 58 runs.

produce an u Ward d'raft through said tube opper E mto the grassrecep- The engine has 'its 'shaft 55 provided 'with the usual fly'wheel 56 on one end and a ldrive spro'cket 57 on its opposite end over "drive chain also passes around and. transmitsmotion from the engine to the drive sprocket 59 which vis connected bya. clutch ...30

- is journaled in blocksv 62v on lthe beam 7 and to a counter-shaft 6'1. The counter-shaft has vconnected'thereto the ciutch levers 63 which are. thrown into .coperation with the being'adapted toturn freely upon the shaft clutch to revolve the 'counter-shaft 61 vby means o f th'e cone l64. This cone is feathered at 65.110 'the'counter-shaft and coperates with a shift leverf 66 which is tilted-to throw the cone forward or backward by' meansof a.rod'67 'said rod being connected to a crank'68 upon' a sleeve 69 and said sleeve 70 iwhich is journaled between the handle supports '5: and `6. Another shaft is j ournaled between the handle supports 5 and 6 and carries a'bell crank lever 76. To one armi'of said lever 76 is pivotally attached a v connecting rod 77 which turns the sleeve 69 `by a 'rock arm 78 to which said rod 77 is 55 Byl turning said'-handle the* eeve 69 is' plvote'd. the other arm of. said 'lever 76.18' operatlvel connected the handle 83 whichis journa ed in the handle suEp-ort emg piece 81.-

.tnrned .upon the shaft 70 and cone 64 moved upon the shaft61 'so as to throw the clutch vlevers'into o1`''`.0ut of enagement with their co erating member. he'countershaft 61 an vf-wheel' shaft 15 are operatively connect- -f reyoiiejtheitraction Wheels vby' means j-whic "travelsaround-them. The' cranks 46 rcket '857 and 86 and thechain 87 land 48 which-very the position of the spark 'advance mechanism' and the carbureter' are operation` to -propel or sto The cutting knife reel is a a ted to be re- This f les 83 and 95, it can connected by rods and 91 to crank 92'and 93 u on the shaft 70 so as to move' simultaneous y and increase or decrease the speed .of operation of the engine, The shaft 70 is adapted to be turned to cause this op- 70 eration by means of the handle 95 which is connected to turn said shaft by means of journalingthe handle by a shaft 96 in the handle support 6 and mountin a crank arm' 97 upon' said handIe shaft.

cranklever 98 u on the shaft 75. One arm of the bell cral crank leverlOO by means of the rod 101 and the otherarm is connected to the crank ar 30 '97 by a connecting piecev 99.

i The handles 83 and 95 rmit the machine to be guided by hand an when turned upon their shafts varythe' speed of the enine and throw the drive meehanism into an volved by means of a sproc et wheel 105 mounted upon the shaft'BO, chain 106 and sprocket 107 which is prr'ovided with a clutch Q0 member -108 turmng eel upon .the counter-shaft 61. A elutchmmber 109 is slid- `ing1y secured upon'the counter-shaft 61 and when thrown into coperation withthe member 108 is ada ted'to transmit lmotion 95 i from the counterreel. from the counter-.shaft 61 by means ofzp leys 110, 111 and a cross belt 112.

aft 61 'to 'the cutting In operation the brush and cutting knife .1'00 'I reel are revolved in Athe direction of 'the arrows indicated in the drawings and .the

'grass as cut passes over the apron upon 'the brush D which carries'it into the hopper E.

From. the hopper the ra is conducted by 105 a current of air pro uced. by the exhaust fromthe engine into the reeeptacle F which as .shown vconsists of a r' which yis supported upon the andle bar 5 by means ofbrackets 116.` This; -has a number of-inwardly project' spikes 117 whichare adapted to engage ie open end of a sack 118 and hold it open to receive the grass from the con'veyer' pipe 42. 'When the sack 118 is filled with grass it can be quickly and easily detached from.thehoop`118 and either emptied or a -freshone substituted.

n the main- The mounting shaft 15 and the 'traction-weels- 17 and 18 of the frame upe is suchasto nearlybalance it' so that nor-z 120 mali] the' machine will'v 'stand of its own wig t .upon 'all ;of the wheeisonby the ap-1.1 llcatlon-;of a slight pi;l upfon thehah-- Ward endiuP to 'e blade 1.0 Pas-'5 QV my inveritien'tap'gether'apparatiiswhich 13111 crank llever 75 .100 is mounted upon the shaft 70 and a bell' lever'is connected to the 01113 Of 85 the 'machine.`

The-brush D vis revolved'continuousully or hoop '-115 w now consider to represent the best embodimen't thereof but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within -the scope of the following claims.

Having descrbed my invention, what ,I claim as new-anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a lawn mower, of an elevated receptacle, a suction tube associated with the cutting mechanism to lift the cut grass into said receptacle and a gasolene engine'having its exhaust' passageway-v vconnected with said suction tube to produce an upward draft therein; whereby as grass is cut by said mechanism during the for- Ward movement of said machine waste is lifted .from the cutting mechanism into said receptacle by the upward draft which is produced by the exhaust of the engine passing into said tube.

2. The combination with a lawn mower, of a grass receptacle, means for conveying cut grass from the cutting mechanism into said receptacle, a pair of handles for guiding said machine by human aid, said handles being mounted to move, a motor for driving said cutting mechanism, and means mounted upon said handles for controllin the operation vof said motor through sai handles.

3. A machine of the class set forth, comprising in combination, a frame, cutting mechanism carried by said frame, traction whcels for carryin said frame, actuating mechanlsm for revo ving said cutting mechanism and said -traction Wheels, a suction tube extending upward and associated witli and adapted to convey cut grass away from said cuttingmechanism and a gasolene engine having its exhaust passageway connected with said tube for producing an vupward currentpof air therein; whereby as ass is cut by said cutting mechanism during the forward movement of said machine waste is carried upward from the cutting mechanism by the current'of air -passing through said tube.

4. The combination with a lawn mower, of an elevated grass receptacle, means for detachably supportinv said receptacle thereon,

a suction tube lea ing upwardly from the cutting mechanismvinto said rece tacle and a gasolene engine having, its e aust passageway connected with said tube for producing an upward draft therein; whereby as the mower advances'and cuts the grass the lene engine 'having suction tube Iifts the waste from the cutting mechanism into said receptacle. 5. The combination withl a lawn inower,

of an elevated grass receptacle, a suction.

tube leading upwardly ,from the cutting mechanism into said receptacle and a gasov its exhaust passageway connected with said tube for producing an up draft therein; whereby as t e mower advances and cuts the ass the suction tube lifts the waste from t e cutting mechanism into said rece tacle.

6. The com ination with a lawn mower,

upon said handle for controlling the' operation of said motor by hand through said handle while the mower is being guided.

8. The combination of a mower with a traction wheel, a motor for propelling said wheel, a'handle for guiding said mower by human aid, said handle being mounted' to move, and means carried by said handle to bring said motor into and out of connection with said wheel by hand through said handle while the mower' is being lguided.

9. The combination with a mower, of a traction wheel, ass cutting mechanism, a motor for actuating said traction wheel and rass'cutting mechanism, a pair of handles or uiding said mower by human aid, said han les being mounted to move, means carried by one of said handles for thereby manually connecting and disconnecting said motor from said traction wheel and means carried by the second handle for thereby Amanually causing said cutting mechanism. to

operate at-a greater or less speed while the mower--is being guided.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. i VVENNlNG P. HoLLIs. Witnesses: w

H. L. FISCHER, F. G. BRADBURY. 

